A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest | |
|---|---|
| |
| Participating broadcaster | Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan; 2018–)
Former members
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| Participation summary | |
| Appearances | 46 (39 finals) |
| First appearance | 1973 |
| Highest placement | 1st: 1978, 1979, 1998, 2018 |
| Host | 1979, 1999, 2019 |
| Related articles | |
| External links | |
Israel's page at Eurovision.tv  | |
 For the most recent participation seeIsrael in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | |
Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 46 times since making its debut in 1973. Israel was able to enter the contest as the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was an active member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which was responsible for the event. In 2017, the IBA was succeeded as national broadcaster by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan), which took charge of the country's entry the following year. Israel has won the contest four times, and has hosted the contest in Jerusalem in 1979 and 1999, and in Tel Aviv in 2019.
Israel's first appearance in the contest in 1973 was successful, with Ilanit finishing fourth. Israel then achieved victories in 1978 and 1979, with wins for Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta with the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi", and Milk and Honey with "Hallelujah". In 1980, the IBA declined to host the contest for a second successive year for financial reasons, and as the date for the contest in the Hague conflicted with Yom HaZikaron – Israeli Memorial Day – Israel did not participate. This is the only instance of a winning country not competing the following year. The country's best results in the 1980s were second-place finishes for Avi Toledano in 1982 and Ofra Haza in 1983. Former winner Izhar Cohen returned to place fifth in 1985, before Duo Datz finished third in 1991. Israel achieved its third victory in 1998, with Dana International and "Diva". Eden then finished fifth in 1999. To date, Israel has the record for most participations and most wins in the contest without ever coming last, but it has placed second to last in the final three times, in 1986, 1993 and 2006, and got nul points from the juries in 2019.
Since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Israel has failed to reach the final six times. In 2005, Shiri Maimon gave the country its tenth top five result, finishing fourth. Having failed to qualify for the final for four consecutive years (2011–14), Israel reached the final in 2015, with Nadav Guedj ultimately finishing ninth, and the country has participated in the final every year since, with the exception of 2022. Israel won the contest for a fourth time in 2018, with the song "Toy" by Netta.
History
To date, there have been four Israeli victories in the contest. Izhar Cohen and Alphabeta won in Paris in 1978 with "A-Ba-Ni-Bi". On home ground in Jerusalem the following year, Israel won again, this time with "Hallelujah" performed by Milk and Honey. Unusually, Israel did not defend the title in 1980[1] (see below). The third victory came almost 20 years later in Birmingham in 1998, when Dana International took top honours with the song "Diva". It took a 20-year wait for Israel to record its fourth victory at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, with the song "Toy" by Netta, earning Israel its highest-ever score of 529 points.
Israel's earliest selections were picked by the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA). The first singer to represent the country was Ilanit, who finished 4th in 1973. In 1972, while Ilanit was in Germany recording as part of the duo Ilan and Ilanit with her partner Shlomo Tzach, the duo received an offer to represent Germany in that year's Eurovision Song Contest. Since Israel was eligible to participate, they approached the IBA with a proposal that Ilanit would represent Israel. However, the registration period was over by then and Ilanit was told she could represent Israel in 1973.[2][3] After she was sent again four years later, it was decided that henceforth the winner of the Hebrew Song Festival would represent Israel. The 1978 and 1979 Israeli Eurovision winners were selected by this method. From 1981, the selection process took place via the Kdam Eurovision with the exception of 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002–2004, 2006–2007 and 2010, when the IBA selected its representatives internally.
After winning the contest in 1978 and 1979, the IBA was financially and logistically unable to organise the event for a second consecutive year. The Netherlands agreed to host the 1980 contest in Israel's place. The date chosen for that year's contest coincided with Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, so Israel could not compete. This made Israel the only country to date unable to defend its title. The 1980 winning song "Pizmon Chozer" by The Brothers & the Sisters never had an opportunity to compete. In 1984, Israel again refrained from participating due to the same date conflict.
Israel's entries have had a mixed reception. Avi Toledano (1982) and Ofra Haza (1983) scored well with big revivalist numbers, but the all-singing, all-dancing style became less popular later in the decade and Israel's 1986 entry, "Yavo Yom" by Moti Giladi and Sarai Tzuriel, came in 19th.
In 1987, Israel finished 8th with "Shir Habatlanim" by the satiric duo Lazy Bums. Then-Israeli Minister of Culture, Yitzhak Navon, said he would resign if the song went on to represent Israel at the contest; this ultimately did not occur.
In 1990, Rita's "Shara Barkhovot" was not well received, but in 1991, Orna and Moshe Datz finished third, Israel's best result since 1983. Israel also had a 5th-place finish by Eden when it hosted the 1999 contest. Ping-Pong's disco effort in 2000 failed, though the group was noted for their optimistic lyrics and message of reconciliation and peace. They waved Syrian flags at the end of their performance, angering some Israelis.
In 2004, David D'Or came 11th in the semi-final with "Leha'amin", leaving Israel out of the final for the first time since 1997. Shiri Maimon with "HaSheket SheNish'ar" in 2005 brought Israel back to the top five, and ensured Israel a place in the 2006 final, where it was represented by singer Eddie Butler, who had finished 5th as part of Eden in 1999; however, his performance of the song "Together We Are One" finished 23rd, with only four points.
IBA's Eurovision committee chose Teapacks to represent Israel in the 2007 contest. Their humorous entry "Push the Button" finished in 24th place out of a semi-final field of 28 and failed to reach the final. Israel thus had to compete in the semi-final in 2008, from which it passed on to the final, with Boaz and "The Fire in Your Eyes" finishing ninth there. In 2009, an Arab citizen of Israel represented the country for the first time, as Mira Awad performed "There Must Be Another Way" alongside Jewish-Israeli singer Noa in Moscow. Israel was represented in 2010 by Harel Skaat, who came 14th in the final with "Milim".
Israel's participations from 2011 to 2014 were less successful, as former Eurovision winner Dana International in Düsseldorf, the band Izabo in Baku, Moran Mazor in Malmö and Mei Finegold in Copenhagen, all failed to qualify for the final. In 2015, Nadav Guedj brought Israel back to the final with "Golden Boy", the first Israeli entry without a Hebrew lyric. Prior to their fourth win, it also managed to qualify in 2016 with Hovi Star and "Made of Stars" (which finished 14th) and in 2017 with Imri Ziv and "I Feel Alive" (which finished 23rd, Israel's lowest placing in a Eurovision final since 2006). In 2019, as host country with Kobi Marimi and his song "Home", Israel was pre-qualified for the final, however, it eventually finished in 23rd place, making it the fourth time since 2015 that the host country ranked in the bottom five.
In 2020, Eden Alene was selected to represent the country with "Feker Libi". Following the cancellation of the 2020 edition, she was retained as the Israeli representative for 2021, this time with "Set Me Free", which went on to finish in 17th place in the final. The song notably includes a B6 whistle note, the highest note in the history of the contest. Michael Ben David represented Israel in 2022 with "I.M", but failed to qualify for the final, marking the first time that Israel missed out on a final since 2014.[4] Noa Kirel with "Unicorn" finished in third place in 2023, the country's best result since its 2018 win. In 2024, Eden Golan finished in fifth place with "Hurricane", which scored more points overall than "Unicorn".
Participation overview
| 1 | First place |
| 2 | Second place |
| 3 | Third place |
| X | Entry selected but did not compete |
| † | Upcoming event |
| Year | Artist | Song | Language | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Ilanit | "Ey Sham" (אי שם) | Hebrew | 4 | 97 | No semi-finals | |
| 1974 | Poogy | "Natati La Khaiai" (נתתי לה חיי) | Hebrew | 7 | 11 | ||
| 1975 | Shlomo Artzi | "At Ve'Ani" (את ואני) | Hebrew | 11 | 40 | ||
| 1976 | Chocolate, Menta, Mastik | "Emor Shalom" (אמור שלום) | Hebrew | 6 | 77 | ||
| 1977 | Ilanit | "Ahava Hi Shir Lishnayim" (אהבה היא שיר לשניים) | Hebrew | 11 | 49 | ||
| 1978 | Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta | "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" (א-ב-ני-בי) | Hebrew | 1 | 157 | ||
| 1979 | Milk and Honey | "Hallelujah" (הללויה) | Hebrew | 1 | 125 | ||
| 1981 | Habibi | "Halayla" (הלילה) | Hebrew | 7 | 56 | ||
| 1982 | Avi Toledano | "Hora" (הורה) | Hebrew | 2 | 100 | ||
| 1983 | Ofra Haza | "Hi" (חי) | Hebrew | 2 | 136 | ||
| 1985 | Izhar Cohen | "Olé, Olé" (עולה, עולה) | Hebrew | 5 | 93 | ||
| 1986 | Moti Giladi and Sarai Tzuriel | "Yavo Yom" (יבוא יום) | Hebrew | 19 | 7 | ||
| 1987 | Datner and Kushnir | "Shir Habatlanim" (שיר הבטלנים) | Hebrew | 8 | 73 | ||
| 1988 | Yardena Arazi | "Ben Adam" (בן אדם) | Hebrew | 7 | 85 | ||
| 1989 | Gili and Galit | "Derekh Hamelekh" (דרך המלך) | Hebrew | 12 | 50 | ||
| 1990 | Rita | "Shara Barkhovot" (שרה ברחובות) | Hebrew | 18 | 16 | ||
| 1991 | Duo Datz | "Kan" (כאן) | Hebrew | 3 | 139 | ||
| 1992 | Dafna | "Ze Rak Sport" (זה רק ספורט) | Hebrew | 6 | 85 | ||
| 1993 | Lehakat Shiru | "Shiru" (שירו) | Hebrew, English | 24 | 4 | Kvalifikacija za Millstreet | |
| 1995 | Liora | "Amen" (אמן) | Hebrew | 8 | 81 | No semi-finals | |
| 1996 | Galit Bell | "Shalom Olam" (שלום עולם) | Hebrew | Failed to qualify[a] X | 28 | 12 | |
| 1998 | Dana International | "Diva" (דיווה) | Hebrew | 1 | 172 | No semi-finals | |
| 1999 | Eden | "Happy Birthday" | Hebrew, English | 5 | 93 | ||
| 2000 | PingPong | "Sameach" (שמח) | Hebrew | 22 | 7 | ||
| 2001 | Tal Sondak | "Ein Davar" (אין דבר) | Hebrew | 16 | 25 | ||
| 2002 | Sarit Hadad | "Light a Candle" | Hebrew, English | 12 | 37 | ||
| 2003 | Lior Narkis | "Words for Love" | Hebrew | 19 | 17 | ||
| 2004 | David D'Or | "Leha'amin" (להאמין) | Hebrew, English | Failed to qualify | 11 | 57 | |
| 2005 | Shiri Maimon | "HaSheket SheNish'ar" (השקט שנשאר) | English, Hebrew | 4 | 154 | 7 | 158 |
| 2006 | Eddie Butler | "Together We Are One" | English, Hebrew | 23 | 4 | Top 11 in 2005 final[b] | |
| 2007 | Teapacks | "Push the Button" | English, French, Hebrew | Failed to qualify | 24 | 17 | |
| 2008 | Boaz | "The Fire in Your Eyes" | Hebrew | 9 | 124 | 5 | 104 |
| 2009 | Noa and Mira Awad | "There Must Be Another Way" | English, Hebrew, Arabic | 16 | 53 | 7 | 75 |
| 2010 | Harel Skaat | "Milim" (מילים) | Hebrew | 14 | 71 | 8 | 71 |
| 2011 | Dana International | "Ding Dong" | Hebrew, English | Failed to qualify | 15 | 38 | |
| 2012 | Izabo | "Time" | English, Hebrew | 13 | 33 | ||
| 2013 | Moran Mazor | "Rak Bishvilo" (רק בשבילו) | Hebrew | 14 | 40 | ||
| 2014 | Mei Finegold | "Same Heart" | English, Hebrew | 14 | 19 | ||
| 2015 | Nadav Guedj | "Golden Boy" | English | 9 | 97 | 3 | 151 |
| 2016 | Hovi Star | "Made of Stars" | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Israel_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest_1990|||||